
PUBLISHED BY 



The Outdoor Enterprise 
Publishing Co. 

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 



Price Fifty Cents 



&■>■ 



T 







THE BOOK THAT TEACHES 

Coined Rabbitology 

The reader actually learns HOW to ''coin" money in 
the raising and care of rabbits, as set forth in this book of 
all books for the rabbit breeder. 

FANCY — and — COMMERCIAL 



FOREWORD 



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O apology is made for the addition of this book to those already 
published in the interest of the Rabbit Fancy and Utility. 

It not only marks an epoch of progress — but is full of 
information of the WHAT to do — and HOW to do it — to map the 
progress of the future and to secure both the rabbit and the dollar. 

Breadth of view — sobriety of judgment — critical insight — con- 
sequent findings — and personal experiences — form the basis of the 
details given in a clear understandable manner manifesting the 
sterling qualities that pervade every page of this book. The instruc- 
tions and other writings, not only bear evidence of wide reading, 
but are conclusive enough to show that each contributor has given 
his BEST because of his practical and intimate knowledge in rais- 
ing rabbits and securing the dollars. They are the men who KNOW. 

There are, of course, quite a number of other books published 
for the rabbit fancier — all have their good quality points of teach- 
ing and instruction — B U T — in Rabbits & Dollars you have the 
fundamentals of a successful enterprise handled by more than one 
man and in more than one place. Here you get the fancy and com- 
mercial sides explained in such excellent and comprehensive man- 
ner as to give added stimulus to the present breeder and fancier — 
while the prospect is bound to grasp the principles pertaining to a 
successful business that he will not hesitate to enter upon if he 
has any love for animals at all. 

In the preparation of this work for the press, we have been 
assisted by Chas. S. Gibson, America's foremost Rabbit Authority 
and Judge; Edward H. Sta.nl, the Editor of Outdoor Enterprises 
and one of the pioneers of the rabbit industry in this country; 
James Bunt, the Managing Editor of Outdoor Enterprises; C. J. 
Coffman, late of Wheatridge, Colo., a noted fancier and man of 
business judgment, and system that pays; W. S. Preshaw of Ripon, 
Cal., the fancier who has originated the new breed of White New 
Zealand. 

We are glad to make this public acknowledgment of such 
worthy assistance, which makes Rabbits & Dollars all the more 
valuable to its readers because it is a compilation of ways and 
means to business success in rabbit raising from the actual experi- 
ences of men who have solved the HOW and give publicity to their 
success in the pages of this book. 

THE OUTDOOR ENTERPRISE PUBLISHING CO. 

Kansas City, Mo. 

December, 1920 



Copyrighted 1920 

By the OUTDOOR ENTERPRISE PUBLISHING CO. 

Kansas City, Mo. 

©CU605234 

J4N -3 , 92 , 



CONTENTS 



PART 1. Page 

THE BEGINNING— Successful Housing of Rabbits 7 

Feeds and Feeding 11 

Buying Stock 13 

THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF RABBITS— 

Rufus Red Belgian Hare 14 

Breeding Belgian Hares •• 16 

Flemish Giant , 19 

New Zealand Red 22 

Care of the New Zealand • • 23 

FANCY BREEDS— By Chas. S. Gibson. 

Champagne D'Argent 24 

American Blue • • 24 

Himalayan '. 25 

Angora • • ....•• 27 

Dutch 27 

Blue and Tans — Black and Tans • 29 

English Spotted 30 

Havana. - . . 31 

Japanese 32 

Silver Gray, Fawn and Brown 32 

Silver Brown • • . . 33 

American Checkered Giants 33 

Lop Eared — English and French 35 

Black Siberian 36 

White New Zealand, by W. S. Preshaw 36 

Blue Flemish Giant 38 

White Flemish Giant ...-■... • • 39 

GENERAL REMARKS ON RABBIT CULTURE 41 

PART 2. 

THE COMMERCIAL SIDE 42 

Dressing a Rabbit. . . 44 

Wrapping the Meat . . • • 45 

Rabbitry Management and Efficient Business Methods 46 

Advertising 47 

Stationery • • 48 

Handling Inquiries and Answers 49 

Carriers and Shipping Crates 50 

Repeat Orders 51 

Filing Records 52 

Hutch Cards • • . . 52 

Pedigrees 53 

Cost " and Profit Records 55 

Bookkeeping System for a Rabbitry 55 

Storekeeping • • • • 55 

PART 3. 

Diseases of Rabbits 57-63 

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS • 63 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

\ 

Page 

The Single Hutch Idea, No. 1 8 

Hutch No. 2 9 

Rufus Red Belgian Hare 15 

Nest Box Showing Lid Construction 18 

Light Steel Gray Flemish Doe • • • 20 

New Zealand Buck 23 

American Blue Rabbit . . • • 25 

The Himalayan Rabbit 26 

The Angora Rabbit 27 

Dutch Doe 28 

Black and Tan .« 29 

White New Zealand Rabbit 37 

White Flemish Giant Buck 40 

Showing Method of Killing a Rabbit 43 



PART 1 

The Beginning 

SUCCESSFUL HOUSING OF RABBITS 

Some Facts and General Principles It Is Necessary to 

Observe 

THE desire to do something toward a successful issue means de- 
cided effort in the choice we have made. The effectiveness of an 
enterprise is largely to be judged from what one learns concern- 
ing his object in view and applying his services accordingly. 

In connection with the raising of rabbits, one of the most im- 
portant things to be considered is the selection of a place which 
is in every way suitable and where the quality of the stock can be 
maintained from generation to generation. This is progress and a 
sure means to success. 

One may enter upon the rabbit business with but little fore- 
thought as to the place where the stock is to be housed, but the 
enthusiasm of the enterprise will not last very long, because a wrong 
start has been made. There is just one way to succeed, and that is 
to do a thing in a right and proper manner. Such is the object of 
this book to instruct along those lines, which if followed by the 
enterprising party, will establish him in a very pleasant and profit- 
able business, the possibilities of which are absolutely unlimited. 

Of course, it is to be admitted, that so far as inside and outdooi 
hutches are concerned, there must be taken into consideration the 
essential factor of climatic conditions. It is almost impossible to 
state determinedly what class of housing is suitable in a universal 
way; still, the suggestions here offered will give to those embarking 
upon rabbit raising some ideas to work upon, and they will then have 
to size up the local climatic conditions and build consistently. 

The outside hutch is generally advocated, provided sufficient 
detail has been given in the construction of the housing quarters 
that they can be made secure from damp or draught, so necessarily 
to be avoided. Care taken in this wise will certainly avoid the in- 
vasion of sickness among the stock. Good, clean, healthy outdoor 
accommodation and the right stock selected in the very beginning 
will spur the breeder on to enthusiasm by which he can make noth 
ing but success. 

Now that the reader has been given to understand the necessity 
of correct housing, the following suggestions are offered by which 
he may go ahead and construct the rabbit quarters. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



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RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



Drawing No. 1 shows a hutch suitable for doe with litter; for 
-young stock as well as for single bucks. 

It can be seen that this style of hutch can be made very cheaply, 
inasmuch as common boards can be used of a good sized box for 
the shelter, feed and nest room, with short pieces of lumber and wire- 
to make the outside run. 

The plan as shown has ample room for a nest box, feed room 
and shelter which can be built to suit your fancy. However, it is 
advisable to have the nest box on the back side of the room, the 
feed crocks on the front side of the room, with the water and grain 
cups on the floor. The plan shows the height, length and width of 
the hutch. It is not necessary, however, to build exactly to meas- 
urements given; you can construct the size of the house you have 
figured upon, proportionately. Another idea in housing construction. 

HUTCH No. 2 




A VERY FINE SELF-CLEANING HUTCH 

This hutch was built along the lines of drawing No. 1 but some- 
what larger and doubly accommodating. A number of these hutches 
have been in use on one of the largest rabbit farms in the country 
and have proven in every way to be successful. 

Many styles of hutches have been tried on this farm, and while 
a number have given satisfaction, still the one as per plan No. 2 
has been the most satisfactory, stock raised in them being absolutely 
healthy and finely developed. The experience has been that when 
rabbits have not done as well as might be expected in other kinds of 
hutches, that by placing the animals in this particular hutch, marked 



10 RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 

improvement has come about. Seemingly, the house is generally sat- 
isfactory, as stock raised in them are but seldom found to have cold 
or any other disease, and it was as "snuffle" proof as any hutch we 
know of. 

Hutch No. 2 is somewhat different to No. 1 in the following re- 
spects: 

First: It is a double hutch, with the feed racks so placed that 
both sides can be fed at once. Besides, another improvement is 
shown, that is, the underfloor space, which gives the stock a chance 
to live on the cool ground in hot weather. Then again, the outside 
runs have slatted floors, thus making the hutch practically self- 
cleaning. It is easily moved about which makes it an ideal hutch for 
the city breeder who may have to move into another house. By 
adopting the portable hutch, the breeder can take practically all of 
his rabbitry with him, whereas this could not be done in the use of 
stationary hutches. This is an important point for the city breeder 
to bear in mind. Many a rabbit raiser has had to quit the business 
not because it was not paying him, but it became necessary for him 
to move his quarters, and he could not take his rabbitry with him. 
You will therefore readily understand the advisability of the portable 
hutch for the city breeder. 

Generally speaking, outdoor hutches are adopted by most breed- 
ers. However, bear well in mind that the stock must be guarded 
against stormy weather and provision must be made accordingly. 
The hutches described are for outside use, and in the construction, 
therefore, consideration has been given for protection against severe 
weather. 

It will be well to also bear in mind that in case the sun shines 
directly upon the rabbits, it is necessary to offset this to some ex- 
tent by seeing that the shading is used, which will somewhat reduce 
the effectiveness of the sun's rays. Rabbits love to bask in the sun- 
shine, especially during the winter and early summer; still, it must 
be understood that they must be guarded against the intensity of 
heat, for this not only has a tendency to fade the fur, but is likely to 
dull the luster on the back which most of the rabbits possess. 
Wherever possible, all hutches should be placed facing south. 

Building large expensive places to raise rabbits is really a sheer 
waste of money, and it is usually difficult to afford the proper ven- 
tilation and health points generally, whereas, by use of the hous- 
ing according to the plans given, you are assured of giving that ac- 
commodation so necessary to the maintenance of healthy stock rais- 
ing all the time. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS ll 

The three great enemies of rabbits are drafts, dampness and 
dogs. These points were considered in the planning of these hutches, 
and if built according to instructions given, are proof against these 
enemies. 

The nest boxes should be built in, or boxes can be used and re- 
moved when necessary, thus giving that extra space when there are 
no young requiring a nest. The boxes should be about sixteen 
inches long, twelve inches wide and ten inches deep. They should 
be made with a one-piece lid and an entrance cut at one of the ends. 
In making this hole, be sure and get it fairly close to the top, of 
course, giving plenty of room for the mother rabbit to get in and out, 
but it is necessary to make the entrance rather high, so as to pre- 
vent the young ones leaving their nest too soon. (See nest box pic- 
ture, page 18). 

Remember! the right kind of stock and proper housing with 
earnest personal attention will mean sure success. 

The hutches described are ideal in all climates and for all parts 
of the country. The reason that we do not- describe any other style 
of hutch is that after experimenting with many others it was found 
that these hutches came nearer meeting the requirements for raising 
rabbits right than any other. We also know of a number of breed- 
ers who are using these hutches and they will use nothing else. 
Build one; use a dry goods box for the nest room, if you want to 
build one without the outlay of much money. If you never raised 
good stock before you will when these hutches are used, but bear 
in mind that hutches don't make the rabbit but will go a long way 
toward it, if proper care is given. 

FEEDS AND FEEDING 

A GREAT many systems of feeds and feeding find advocates 
among rabbit men. Nearly all the systems advanced have some 
advantages, but it will be found that simplicity is the real 
solution of the problem. The rabbit will subsist and do well on 
practically any feed suitable for a good dairy cow. Sometimes, how- 
ever, it is necessary to adapt the rabbit gradually to a change of 
feeds, when it has already been accustomed to one thing or one kind 
of feed. A few of the most practical feeds, and remarks on their 
values follow here : 

OATS are a good feed, especially if rolled and hulled, but they 
are rather light in weight and do not provide much protein in pro- 
portion to their bulk. 



12 RABBITS AND D OLL ARS 

BARLEY, rolled, makes the ideal grain feed for rabbits. It has 
both weight and protein making qualities, and with a little clover 
or alfalfa hay makes a full ration in ordinary conditions. Rabbits, 
like people, however, like variety, so green things and roots will 
be always acceptable in moderate quantities. 

WHEAT is rather starchy, but will do when other grains are 
not readily available. If it must be fed, an equal mixture of wheat 
and rolled barley or oats is very practical. 

BRAN is a good filler, and does well mixed with other grains, 
although the nourishment value is small. 

CORN, in meal or flour may be fed, but should be boiled first 
and fed as a- mash, with perhaps a half and half mixture of other 
grains. 

KAFFIR CORN, MILO MAIZE do fairly well as rabbit feeds, 
but the rabbit will need to be adapted to them. 

ALFALFA is the ideal hay for rabbits, because it is a clover 
hay, and a great milk producer. 

TIMOTHY, if this hay is used, it should be mixed with clover 
or alfalfa. 

STRAW. This is sometimes used as an emergency "roughness," 
but is not recommended, as it has practically no nourishment in it. 

Good clean water should be available at all times in the raising 
of rabbits. There may be yet some who have the old idea that 7 
rabbit can be shaped better and prepared for the shows by not drink- 
ing any water, getting only such water as may be found in the root 
crops it eats. We trust that this idea has been well exploded by now, 
as some of the finest rabbits in this country have been raised and 
exhibited with plenty of clean, clear, cool water always available. 
The cruelty of keeping a warm blooded animal that sweats away 
its moisture, without water, must be apparent to any thinking person. 

The correct long shape may be easily attained by plenty of 
room and exercise, and care in not feeding too much green stuff to 
"pot-gut" the animal. 

MILK is frequently fed with profit, where it is to be had rea- 
sonably, especially to does with young. Sometimes it takes a time 
or two of feeding to get the animal accustomed to it. 

PEAS make a good fattener for market stock, but are not recom- 
mended for show stock as they are liable to bring on a potted stom- 
ach. If fed, they should be soaked over night in water or milk, rab- 
bits sometimes refusing them at first. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 13 

BUYING STOCK 

RABBIT keeping is generally done for one of two reasons, as a 
stock raising proposition from a fancier's viewpoint, the breed- 
ing of thoroughbreds, or from a utility standard, the supply- 
ing of meat to a market. There are a few rules that apply to the 
purchase of stock under either of these or other conditions. 

The first thing in buying any rabbits is health, not only of the 
specimen bought, but also of all the rabbits in the vicinity that may 
have been housed with the one bought. That is, in buying stock 
be very careful as to the health of the rest of the rabbitry. Do NOT 
buy stock where you hear rabbits snuffling or breathing with a loud 
noise. Such diseases are transmittable and the one you are buying 
may be already infected. 

Examination of stock for health includes first the condition of 
the coat. A rabbit in good health will have a sleek smooth coat, 
and one with a rough coat may well be carefully guarded against 
no matter how plausible the excuse of the seller that she is nursing, 
or that the damp weather is the cause. A roughened coat practically 
always indicates a diseased condition somewhere. 

Then the ears. Look well down into them and any indications 
of ear canker should preclude your buying the animal. Ear canker 
is, as a rule, easily cured. BUT you cannot tell by looking at a 
case whether it is growing into the head, or out into the ear. It is 
generally fatal when it gets a good start into the head. 

Now a careful examination of the vent and parts, by holding the 
animal across the ears and skin of the neck with the left hand, and 
laying on the table or posing shelf on its back. Press gently above 
the parts and note whether they have a clean pink appearance. Any 
rashly inflamed spots or scabs is fair warning that you do not want 
the animal. 

As a last stage in the examination of the rabbit for health, hold 
it against your ear, resting it on your shoulder, and rub its back 
rather vigorously, noting the sound of the breathing. If there is 
a rasping or catching sound, or a distinct rattle in the breathing, 
you do not want that animal either. 

Use a little observation when you enter a rabbitry, and see that 
it is clean and well kept, with plenty of ventilation and light. It 
stands to reason that a well kept, clean rabbitry is liable to be 
the home of well kept, healthy stock. 

If you buy stock at a distance, see that you deal with a firm 
known to be reliable and who will make good if the stock does not. 



14 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

Do not be too hasty about buying, but look about a bit and have a 
little correspondence with the firm before purchasing. Note the 
kind of letter head they have, the way they write a letter and use 
all your senses to learn the most possible from what you can see 
of them. 

Be willing to pay a good price for the stock you get, because 
no fancier is going to spend his time and thought on stock to produce 
a good strain to give it away. So beware of the stuff that is offered 
"cheap," for it generally is cheap in color, size and type as well as 
price. The foundation of your herd had far better be good and few, 
than numerous and cheap- 
It will cost just as much to feed a scrub as a thoroughbred, and 
a good deal more, in view of the price you can get for the fancy 
stock, as compared with what you must take for the scrub stock. 

THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF RABBITS 
RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARES 

THIS type of animal has probably had the greatest vogue of any 
rabbit in the world, and particularly in America. He is still 
very popular and his fine racy shape and beautiful color is to 
be admired. The rich red "Rufus" under coat and the fine black 
hair ends, or ticking, or a live Belgian Hare must be seen to be 
appreciated. 

Of course, the Belgian Hare so called is not really a hare, but 
a rabbit. The name Belgian Hare is given the type because of his 
hare-like appearance, shown by his racy shape and bright half-wild 
eye. 

In selecting stock of this type look first at the color. The back 
should have the deep red undercoat spoken of, which is best described 
perhaps, by the word auburn. The ends of the hairs to a large 
extent, but not entirely, should be black, giving a shaded or ticked 
appearance. The later types show less of this ticking than formerly, 
however, and care should be taken not to select too dark a kind of 
ticking. 

The feet and legs should be a nice clear red, with but little 
ticking.. 

The belly should be a rich cream color, with a distinct color 
difference at the sides, or in other words, a sharp line between the 
belly and back color. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



15 



The ears should be as near as possible to four and one-half inches 
in the mature specimen. They should be carried up well and 
carried in style, points near together and straight throughout, some- 
what on the order of the following photograph, which is a good type 
of the Belgian Hare. 




RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARE 

By Courtesy of Joseph Blank 



See that the legs are slim and fine boned, but watch that the 
mature animal comes up to the standard in weight, eight pounds for 
the doe and seven pounds for the buck. The young should run a 
trifle over a pound for each month of age. 

In buying either young or old stock be sure to use the examina- 
tion methods suggested in the first part of this article, looking for 
symptoms of diseases. It is suggested that you study thoroughly 
all the diseases given in this book, and any others you may be able 
to find, in other books. 



16 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

You will not find many diseases that a rabbit is heir to, as 
compared with some other animals and with chickens, but the few 
there are, are frequently contagious and may be fatal, and the care- 
ful buyer will avoid having or buying any stock with any disease. 

BREEDING OF BELGIAN HARES 

HAVING selected your foundation stock with care, the next step 
is to move toward the perpetuation of the strain. If you have 
bought a trio, that is two does and a buck, for a starter, you 
have probably looked as well as you can to the point sof the animals, 
their coloring, length; shape, type, etc., and how they match as to 
points. You should see that the weak points of the one are well cov- 
ered by the other. A weak colored doe should be mated to a strongly 
colored or perhaps too dark a buck. Perfection comes only afttr 
long breeding and is not to be bought too cheaply. Hence, if you 
must start with stock a little off on account of the expense, try and 
mate up the points so that it will not show in the offspring. 

The same things apply to weight and to type, that is, length 
and carriage. Always balance point to point. 

In breeding a doe, always take her to the buck's hutch, and then 
stand there and watch until they have mated. This will be easily 
perceived, as they are very quick in their actions, but do not leave 
the doe there after they have mated once or twice, as the continual 
attentions of the buck may result in harming her. If they will 
mate at all it will be in the first three or four minutes, as a rule. 
If the doe runs away continuously with a whining noise, it is a sign 
she is not yet ready to mate, but if she merely runs away to tease 
him, and does not whine or cry out, leave her there a few minutes 
while you watch. 

After the doe is bred take her back to her hutch, preferably a 
light well ventilated hutch of at least thirty by thirty inches. She 
will drop her litter in thirty-one days and a card should be placed 
on her hutch to that effect. 

This card may be of the following form : 
HUTCH RECORD 

Name , 

Born 

Sire Dame 

Price 

Due Number of From 

young 



RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 17 

This form gives the record of either doe or buck, as the date 
when due (thirty-one days from breeding) will apply either to the 
doe who is to produce the young, or the buck who is the sire. By 
this means the productive qualities of either doe or buck can be 
noted, by keeping the middle column in order, with the number of 
young produced. The last column may indicate a doe in case this 
record is being used for a buck, or for a buck, if the record is being 
kept for a doe. 

The form here is simple, purposely so, as the more elaborate 
records taking in the whole details of numbers of bucks and does, 
times of testing, and so forth, are very liable to be poorly kept. A 
simple record well kept tells more than a very elaborate record 
partly kept. 

About ten days before the doe is due to litter, it is well to start 
her on a little milk. If the fresh milk is not to be had, a little con- 
densed milk poured into the drinking water will be very fine for her 
and the coming babies. A proportion of one part ordinary condensed 
milk to six parts water is about right. 

If she will not take to this readily it will be found that depriving 
her of any other than the milk-water will bring her to it in a day 
or so. Of course, this will apply only to stock of sufficient value to 
warrant the expense, and the stock now under discussion is the 
thoroughbred Belgian Hare. 

About seven or eight days before the babies come place a nest 
box in the hutch. (See page 18). Fill this nearly half full of 
clean straw or a good grade of shavings, and it will be well to see 
that these are still in the box a day or so before she litters. 

The advantages of a nest box of this type are the cheaper con- 
struction, as it costs less than to build one into a hutch and is less 
bother, and mainly, that it is so much easier to keep clean and sani- 
tary. After the young are three or four weeks old, or a bit older 
in the winter, the nest box may be taken out, scraped, cleaned and 
painted. Then it is ready for the next doe to use. 

After the babies come keep up the milk diet as well as the regu- 
lar feeding, until they are about a month old, when the milk diet 
may be discontinued. But it should be borne in mind that no great 
change of diet should take place between the time the mother is 
bred and the time the young are weaned. Especially does this apply 
to the addition of new foods, so that the larger quantities you 
can purchase your hays and grains in, the better it will be, on account 
of the ability to keep on one style of feeding all the time. 



18 



RABBITS 'AND DOLLARS 




NEST BOX -SHOWING 
Lib CONSTkUCTION 



Do not examine the babies at all, nor attempt to clean the hutch 
until they are at least three days old. Then pursue carefully the 
following method : 

Remove the doe from the hutch and put her on the table or in 
another hutch. 

Put on gloves, if you wish, or not, but in either case rub your 
hands lightly in a dry place on the hutch floor, then stroke the stom- 
ach of the mother doe quite a few times. This is to get the scent 
of the mother on your hands or gloves. 

Now notice just what position the next box is in, and which way 
it faces. Take it out and pry off the cover which you have secured 
with a small nail or two. 

Count the young quickly, removing any dead, and replace the next 
box any way you found it. 

Put in some green stuff, or some bread, or else a little con- 
densed milk into the feed bowl to furnish some detraction, so she 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 19 

will not get immediately to her babies. By the time she does it 
will be all right. 

These precautions carefully followed will be well repaid in 
the production and successful raising of much stock that might be 
otherwise lost. 

Separate the young from the mother at eight to ten weeks of age. 
Any attempt to separate them from her sooner may result in slob- 
bers, or acute indigestion, seemingly due to the fact that she teaches 
them to eat, and has not had time to wean them gradually from 
her milk and break them in on solid foods. 

Separate the sexes between three and four months and the 
bucks from each other very shortly after, as they arc liable to fight 
and fight for months. 

Always be regular in your feeding and care of the rabbits and 
they will more than repay your efforts. Keep the cards up on 
your hutches regularly, and write out a new one every time you trans- 
fer a young rabbit from its mother or from another brother or sister. 
Do not rely on little books or memorandum, as these may get lost 
or mislaid, and then you are in the dark as to the rabbits' ancestry 
when you wish to pedigree them. 



THE FLEMISH GIANT 

IN buying the Flemish Giant the natural object is weight and a 
heavy frame to carry that weight. Color is desirable, especially 
for show purposes, but the anxiety to gain great weight in single 
specimens has led to the showing of stock under several classifica- 
tions for Flemish Giants, such as steel grays, light steel grays, dark 
steel grays, blacks, silver tips and possibly some others of less im- 
portance. 

The hardest color to maintain in this type, and correspondingly 
the most valuable, is the dark steel gray. This is as near as hair 
may come to a piece of new cast iron, just from the molds. When 
one can obtain this very desirable color and weight also in the same 
specimen, it is indeed a treasure, and should be held at a high figure 
if any desire is had to promote the rabbit business along these lines. 

The standard weight for the Flemish Giant is eleven pounds for 
the buck and thirteen for the doe. That is to say, these are the mini- 
mums. If one can produce a well fleshed, firm muscled individual 
of more than these weights, they bring a correspondingly larger 



20 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

price and attract great favor in the shows. Flemish Giant bucks 
have attained greater weights than there, up to 18£ pounds. Does 
run still heavier and have been known to touch twenty pounds. 

After getting a satisfactory specimen weight and color, look well 
to the manner of carrying the ears.. There is quite a tendency among 
the Giant class to lop their ears, and one should see that the 
ears are carried nice and straight, something on a rather wide V 
order. They do not need to be carried to a point as in the Belgian 
Hare. 

The frame or bone work of the Flemish Giant should be large 
and roomy and capable of bearing a large weight of meat. The coat, 
in any of the colors, should be sleek and healthy looking. Never 
buy a rough coated or ill-kept animal in any type or class. A rabbit 
in good health always keeps its coat in good, sleek condition, even 
while nursing. Any dead or rough looking coat is an indication that 
something is wrong with the animal, even though you may not be 
able to tell what particular disease it has. An unscrupulous dealer 
may assure you it is only because the animal is nursing, or some 
other plausible excuse, but always bear in mind that a healthy rab- 
bit is first of all a sleek one. 

Unscrupulous dealers in the rabbit game, are like rabbit dis- 
eases, rather rare, but that does not lessen our need of looking out 
for them. Be cautious, but be also willing to give your fellow man 
credit for as much honesty as you have until it is proven otherwise. 

Length should be a feature in the Flemish Giant, for without 
length of frame you cannot gain great weight, there is no place to 
put it. A glance at the following photo will illustrate the force of 
this argument. 




LIGHT STEEL GRAY FLEMISH DOE. WEIGHS 11 LBS. AT 5 MONTHS 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 21 

In the blacks the same general rules as the foregoing are in 
order, in' the buying of stock. Weight is really the primary con- 
sideration, if it can be attained without fat in too great quantities. 

The silver tips are not very desirable as fine specimens. 

The light grays are generally the largest animals. Their color 
is not as yet perfect. It is hoped that they may be bred to better 
color, and you may trust to the Flemish breeder to do so. 

The breeding of Flemish Giants follows much on the order of 
that given for Belgian Hares, except that allowances must be 
made in the feeding for the heavier weight of animal in the Flemish 
Giant. 

The mother doe will need more room before nesting than perhaps 
the Belgian would require, except where particular care was taken 
with the Belgian Hare to preserve the long, slim shape by giving a 
longer hutch with a dividing board in the middle. 

The nest-box, too, should be a little larger, measuring about 
twenty inches long by twelve by sixteen inches deep and wide, in- 
stead of the standard size. (See page 18). Especially is this true in 
the spring and fall months when the weather is warmer. 

No rabbit, whatever the breed, should be bred in the hot months, 
but should be managed in such a way that three or four litters re- 
quired may be produced in the months outside of June, July and 
August. This may be modified to July and August in the northern 
parts of the United States and similarly cool sections. 

In the heavier breeds three litters a year from good stock is 
a great plenty, as they require a longer time with the mother, three 
to four months. Four litters is a fair enough production in the 
lighter breeds. The fancier who has some consideration for his 
pets aside from a purely dollars and cents standpoint, will find that 
in a few years he has bred stock of such superior quality that the 
difference in price per individual rabbit will more than make the 
difference in litters he may have lost by not "pushing" his stock to 
too great an extent. 

The superior quality of the individual specimen makes more 
reputation for the fancier who cares, than the great quantity he may 
ship. 

In the case of the Flemish Giant, here weight is so desirable, 
it is generally the custom to provide a nurse doe for the young. This 
is done by breeding another doe of less value and of the good 
mothering types, such as the Dutch or other small rabbits. Then 



22 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

the young are born and are one or two days old, kill off the young 
of the cheaper doe and substitute those of the Flemish Giant doe. A 
few precautions should be observed here to make sure that the 
new mother will take to her foster babies, although as a rule they 
are not hard to manage along these lines. 

Take out the nurse doe and put her in another hutch, as in the 
instructions for inspecting Belgian Hare young. Kill off all or part 
of her young so as to leave plenty of space for the Flemish young. 
The nurse doe should not carry over five young, so if you are divid- 
ing a litter of eight Flemish Giants, you should kill off four of the 
nurse doe's young to make room for four of the Flemish, leaving 
four Flemish on the original mother, and four on the nurse doe 
with perhaps one of her own. 

After killing off the nurse doe's young, take a baby Flemish 
and rub it well over the stomach of the nurse doe, having scented 
your hands or gloves from the nurse doe's hutch. Repeat this opera- 
tion twice and then wait till the next day to chance over the other 
two. This makes it easier on both does. 

Sometimes it is not practical to have a nurse doe, or it may 
not litter when the other doe does. In this case the following plan 
will work well : 

After three or four days kill off the smaller ones of the litter 
down to six or seven, and then increase the milk diet, that is, make 
it stronger, to about one part condensed milk to two parts water, 
after the manner mentioned in the part on Belgian Hares. 

This increased milk strength will operate to supply milk to 
the doe and will result in practically as heavy young as by the other 
method, and with really less trouble. It costs considerably less by 
this method also, but, of course, a few cents per rabbit is of no 
great matter when high class stock is considered. 

NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 

THE selection of the correct type of the New Zealand rabbit is 
a little more difficult matter, owing to the fact that it is rather 
a recent breed to the average American fancier. 
The bit of advice given in the earlier portion of this work rela- 
tive to selecting a reliable dealer applies with especial force here. 
The breed being somewhat new and the standard not so firmly 
settled in the minds of the average fancier as yet, it is highly ad- 
visable to study out the ads in the rabbit magazines and journals 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



23 



carefully and select from a dealer of good reputation who has been 
breeding the species for some time. We believe that California is 
noted as the state in which the breed first became a commercial 
reality. 

The color of this rabbit is not so red as the Rufus Red Belgian 
Hare, but rather a tawney color, or heavy tan. It is distinctly off 
a yellow or golden fawn color, but it is really not a red at all in 
the exact color sense of the term. It might be said that it is on 
the half shade between a good yellow tan and a real Rufus Red color. 

The mature specimens will run in weight considerably heavier 
than a Belgian Hare, but not so heavy as a Flemish Giant. 

In length they should compare favorably with the Belgian Hare 
perhaps a little longer. 

The flesh should be firm and the poise or pose dignified and 
reserved. They will not, of course, have the racy wild appearance 
of the Hare, but should appear full of life and vim. 

The belly or under body color should be lighter than the coat 
on the back, but not white. 




FINE SPECIMEN NEW ZEALAND 

CARE OF THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 

THE same general rules for the care of the Flemish Giant and 
the Rufus Red Will apply here also. Provide the larger size 
nest box for the mother, as given under the heading Flemish 
Giants. 



Fancy Breeds 

By CHAS. S. GIBSON 
America's Foremost Authority and Judge of Kaliltits 

CHAMPAGNE D'ARGENT 

(French Silver) 

THIS beautiful rabbit is better known by the name of French 
Silver in America, and in California we find a flourishing 
French Silver Club. 

THEIR SIZE AND TYPE are similar to the New Zealand 
Rabbits of 9 pounds on the bucks and 10 pounds on the does, al- 
though these weights are hard to make and often we find them 
weighing 8 and 9 pounds. 

At the present time this rabbit is without a doubt the best 
fur rabbit we have when it comes to using the fur without dying it. 

IT OWES ITS ORIGIN to France and made its first appear- 
ance in this country in California during the year of 1913. 

ITS HEAD and ears are not quite as thick as the New Zea- 
land but more on the Belgian Hare. The ears should be 5 inches 
and over in length. 

THE COLOR should resemble the color of a new silver coin. 
This color should be even over the feet, chest, face, head, ears, 
body and tail. The nose usually is darker and in the form of a 
butterfly. The tail is also darker. The under color is a bluish 
color. 

When first born they are almost solid black and soon start 
becoming lighter in color. 



THE AMERICAN BLUE RABBIT 

The first American Blue was exhibited by Lewis Salisbury at 
Los Angeles, Cal., 1917, and judged and named by the writer. This 
rabbit was named "Major" and has been the sire of more prize 
winners than any other rabbit in America. 

This popular rabbit owes its popularity to that prince of fan- 
ciers, Judge Salisbury of Pasadena, Cal. Weight about 9 pounds 
on bucks and 10 pounds on does. 

AS A MEAT AND FUR RABBIT the American Blue is 
hard to beat. It reaches the frying age as quickly as any other 
breed and its beautiful blue fur can be used either as long or clipped 
fur. 



RABBITS AND DO LL ARS 25 




AMERICAN BLUE RABBIT 

By Courtesy of Joseph Blank 

ITS TYPE is different than any of our other rabbits. Man- 
dolin in type, meaning its front quarteis are much more narrow 
than the hind quarters. Its hind quarters being large and good for 
meat. , 

ITS HEAD, ears and limbs should be on the graceful order 
and not thick and heavy like the Blue Flemish- Giant. They should 
be a dark rich slate blue with short, dense and smooth coat, free, 
from white hairs, rusty color or white toe nails. The eyes should 
match the body color. The light shades of the American Blue are 
often used to imitate the Blue Fox. 

ITS ORIGIN can be traced to the Flemish Giant but by care- 
ful breeding the Flemish type has been entirely bred out of them 
and today they are one of the most valuable rabbits we have in 
America. 



THE HIMALAYAN RABBIT 

One of our most valuable fur rabbits especially when made up 
into fur sets and sold for Ermine 

It is a small rabbit not very long, and very slender in body 
with short ears, pink eyes and a very silky coat of fur. 

In the early history of the rabbit it was known by the follow-. 
ing different names: "Egyptian Smut," "Antwerp" and "Chinese 
Smut Nose Rabbit." 

To Mrs. L. B. Hackett of Oakland, Cal., goes the credit of mak- 
ing this rabbit so popular throughout the United States. We find 



26 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

more Himalayans in California than all of the other states together. 
In California we find the Himalayan Rabbit Fur Farms. 




THE HIMALAYAN RABBIT 

By Courtesy of Joseph Blank 

This rabbit should weigh between three and four pounds in 
weight in maturity. 

WHEN BORN they are pure white, and the nose smut, feet 
and tail blackens up in a few days. 

THE HIND LEGS are the most important markings and the 
boosts as they are called should extend up well above the knees 
and be a solid black. 

THE FRONT LEGS should also be solid black but the boosts 
never extend up the legs so far as on the hind legs. 

THE EARS should be solid black and have the appearance of 
being set on the white color of the head. 

THE NOSE smut should be in the shape of an olive and with- 
out any jagged appearance on the sides or either end, and should 
extend below the jaws and well up between the eyes. 

TAIL should also be black. 

THE BODY and other parts should be a beautiful white and 
the fur soft, short and close and not wiry. 

When a Himalayan is in perfect coat the feet can be split after 
the hide has been removed, and split at each toe, making sixteen 
Ermine Tails, while the body fur is large enough for two Ermines. 

THE MEAT of this little rabbit is also very fine. Smudgy eye 
stains are disqualifications and specimens having the smudgy eye 
should never be bred. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



27 



THE ANGORA RABBIT 

THE ANGORA is one of our most beautiful Rabbits. They 
are bred in WHITES, BLUES and BLACKS or "Smokes" as they 
should be called. They are never bred real black. 

This variety is supposed to have originated in Asia Minor and 
Persia. 




THE ANGORA, "GOLDEN FLEECE" 

By Courtesy of A. Weygandt 

Years ago the peasants of Switzerland and France are said to 
have bred them in large numbers for their fur. They clipped the 
fur and sold it to large manufacturers wiio then made it up into 
articles of clothing. 

A large firm in California has been trying to promote the 
breeding of Angora Rabbits for its wool. 

It is too early at this writing to know whether it will be a suc- 
cess or not. 

The price set by the English Government was 22 shillings per 
pound for the wool. 

The average Angora should produce 4 ounces at a clipping and 
with two clippings a year it would make 8 ounces each year from a 
fully matured Angora. This would give a value of $2.00 alone in 
wool from each rabbit besides having it still left for a breeder. 

THE MEAT is just as good as any other rabbit and they 
should weigh about 9 pounds at maturity. 



28 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

THE QUALITY of wool should be long and of a soft, fine 
Jexture. 

FEET AND TAIL to have fringe of wool hanging from them. 

CHEST AND HEAD should have wool as long and heavy as 
possible, with tufts of wool extending down over the eyes. 

EARS with good thick wool, and tufts of wool on tips of ears. 

WOOL must be free from mats of any kind. It is necessary 
to keep this rabbit brushed out every day and to also keep straw 
or hay from; becoming matted in its wool and a great many breed- 
ers cut the hay up into small pieces of five or six inches, and have 
them in a hutch above and away from the dirt or dust. 

DUTCH MARKED RABBITS 

The Dutch Rabbits have always been one of the most popu- 
lar rabbits in both this country as well as England. 

While it is a fancy rabbit, it is also highly desired on account 
of the does making such good foster mothers; also for their fine 
meat. 




mm*m*mm* sfy r' w wunintfiifc) nnn.miTwi i jm 



DUTCH DOE, MISS PERFECTION 

By Courtesy of Hale Prather 

THEIR COBBY SHAPE makes them a very desirable rabbit 
for fryers, and they take on fat much easier than any other rabbit. 

THEIR BEAUTIFUL MARKINGS place them in a class by 
themselves. 

They should weigh not more than 5 pounds at maturity. 

THE COLORS are black, blue, tortoise and steel gray. 

BODY COLOR: Chest pure white. A white collar starting 
just clear of front legs and running through to the ears, running 
in a clean cut circle on top flanks and belly, and forming what is 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 29 

called the saddle. Head, blaze in shape, white wedge, rounding 
and just missing the whiskers, and becoming narrow at the ears, 
and ending up with a tiny white line connecting the face blaze 
with the belt. The white back of the ears should also come into 
the ears in the shape of a wedge. 

THE HIND LEGS solid color to match body color with the 
exception of about one and one-half inches from the toes which 
should be solid white and even around on top and bottom. 

THE EYES should match the body color and a wall eye or an 
off colored eye disqualifies in this breed. 

THE DUTCH RABBITS also seem to be more hardy than any 
of the other varieties. 

BLACKS AND BLUES should be mated together in order that 
the colors may be kept up to standard. 

EARS should be solid colors and free from white hairs. The 
body should also be solid color and free from white hairs or white 
patches. 

THE COLLAR OR BELT should just miss the front legs and 
the body color should not show on the back side of the front legs 
at all. 

BLUE AND TANS— BLACK AND TANS 

This popular little rabbit is one of the oldest we have any rec- 
ord of but very scarce in this country. 




BLACK AND TAN RABBIT 

By Courtesy of Joseph Blank 

They are also classed among the fancy breeds. Many years 
ago in England it was a common thing to see many warrens of 



30 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

these rabbits and they have always been popular with the English 
fancier. 

THE BLACKS should have rich black over the head, body and 
face, outside the ears, feet, legs and top of the tail. Bright tan 
color inside part of feet, legs, under part of tail, back part of legs, 
flanks, belly, chest, under jaw, nostril, base of each ear, inside of 
ears, behind ears, a triangle, and to also form tan color at base of 
triangle to meet tan on chest, cheek and eyes. 

THE BLACK COLOR should be a rich shiny black and the 
tan a deep rich tan. 

TYPE should be similar to the Dutch. 

EYES : Hazel in black and blue in the blues. 

WEIGHT: Not over 4 pounds. . 

THE BLUES to be the same as the blacks only substitute the 
blue color where the black has been described. 

ENGLISH SPOTTED RABBITS 

THEIR TYPE is between the Belgian Hare and the Silvers. 

It has always been known as the hardest rabbit in the world 
to produce and when the eye beholds a specimen bred up anywhere 
near the standard of perfection of this rabbit it becomes an object 
of beauty. 

It is such a difficult matter to breed these specimens up t.> 
the standard that if the breeders succeed in producing one fine 
specimen in a dozen litters he may consider himself fortunate. 

This rabbit was first bred in England in the year 1885 from 
the common White Pink Eye. 

There has always been a few in America but it has only been 
during the past few years that we have found them in large classes 
in the American show rooms. 

COLOR: Black, blue,, tortoise and steel gray. 

SIZE: Not to be over 6 pounds. 

HEAD — White with solid butterfly or smut nose color to 
match body color. A white spot in this butterfly to disqualify. 
Also part of the butterfly absent to disqualify. One or more 
prongs absent, severe cuts. 

EYE CIRCLES: To be round and solid color around the eyes 
and pure white around the circles with a small eye spot directly 
beneath the circle and free from the circle with the white running 
between the circle and spot. The color of both to match body 
color. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 31 

EARS: To be short and solid color. The ears are the hard- 
est points of all to breed and it is very seldom we ever find a good 
pair of solid colored ears on an English rabbit. 

BACK MARKINGS' Saddle markings with herring bone 
markings starting just back of the ears and gradually becoming 
larger down the back and running in an unbroken line to the end 
of tail. The widest marking of the line should be just above the 
hip bones and tapering off again to the tail. 

STOMACH: Pure white with six teat spots to match body 
spots. 

KNEE SPOTS : To have four knee spots, one on the out- 
side of each knee. 

CHAIN MARKINGS: To start near the base of the ear in 
a single line and becoming a double line on the sides to extend 
down the sides to the center of each side and in a slanting chain. 
At the center of the sides and about one inch from the stomach 
line the spots should become larger and run over the top and bot- 
tom of the flanks in rows of spots. These spots should all be as 
solid color as possible and not together but showing white between 
each spot. 

Like the Dutch the good English specimens can be picked out 
before they have their eyes opened. 

They are also used for meat and are very fine. Their fur is 
also used. 



THE HAVANA RABBIT 

Was first exhibited in America during the year of 1915 and are 
very hard to raise in this country. 

It originated in Holland and was perfected in France, and then 
exported to England and other countries. The sire is unknown, 
therefore it is not possible to state how it was bred. 

It was at first called "fire eye," then "castors" and finally 
Havanas by the French. 

It is the only rabbit having a fire red eye, and a peculiar thing 
is that by crossing it with a Himalayan rabbit the result will be 
black eyes and no red eyes. 

When they were first introduced they had very weak feet color, 



32 RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 

which has been strengthened by crossing them with the Black and 
Tans. • 

Their fur is very valuable and sometimes used to imitate beaver. 

SIZE: Seven pounds and as much larger as possible. 

COLOR : Rich bright brown, somewhat resembling a cigar in 
color. Under color, pale and gray. 

EYES: Color of body with red pupil and soft expression. 
EARS : Four inches long and match body color. 
TOE NAILS: Brown. 

DISQUALIFICATIONS: All general disqualifications and 
white patches or gray hair. 



JAPANESE RABBIT 

The Jap Rabbit is very scarce in this country and when once 
seen is not easily forgotten. 

They can be made easily by crossing a Black and Tan buck with 
a New Zealand doe and then cross breeding by carefully selecting 
the proper matings. 

If you take a New Zealand Rabbit and a brush of black paint 
and try to paint tiger stripes on the New Zealand you will have 
a very good Jap Rabbit. 

The markings are very irregular and have the appearances of 
just blotches or splashes. One black eye and the other fawn some 
regular fine lines and other in spots over the head, and other 
places. Their fur is used for door-mats, pin cushions and many 
other useful articles. 

DISQUALIFICATIONS: All genera! disqualifications, also 
little or no distribution of colors. Too light or too dark, faded or 
washed colors, white markings except the white claws. Body too 
long or too steep at back. Fur rugged or defective. 

SHAPE AND SIZE: Short thick with powerful legs, weight 
about 8 pounds. 

HEAD MEDTUM size and well spotted with black patches. 
EARS MEDIUM size, spotted patches to match body color. 
MARKINGS: to be irregular and patches of different colors. 
UNDER COLOR: Shiny, and shading from a cream to brick 
red. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 33 

SILVER GRAY, FAWN AND BROWN 

The Silvers have never been popular in America but in England 
they have always been verj' popular and especially the Silver Grays, 
which at one time was the most popular rabbit in England. The 
Silver Club in England today is the largest rabbit club they have. 

The Silver Grays are very valuable for their rich fur. 

This rabbit is supposed to have been bred up from the wild 
English rabbit called "Wild Grr.ys." It became popular in England 
about the year 1899. The young are born black and commence to 
show the light silvering at about 6 weeks of age. 

COLOR: It is a very difficult matter to describe the color. 
The first or bottom color should be rich, blue black, then an even 
distribution of silvering or white hairs, covering the chest, body, 
feet, head, ears and cheeks. The silvering should be uniform and 
govern the shade of color. The light shades will have the largest 
amount of silvering, while the dark shades will have the small 
amount. 

THE MEDIUM SHADE is the most popular. 

THE FUR should be of medium length, not too long and very 
silky. The ears are liable to run too light in color. 

SIZE AND SHAPE: Under 6 pounds. To be short, neat and 
sprightly. 

EARS: Short, erect and well colored. 

EYES: Large and blight. 

COLOR: On Silver Grays the under color is a deep blue 
black; in Fawns a rich orange color. 

SILVERING: Should be evenly distributed over the body, 
head, feet and ears. 

These Silvers are very valuable as a fur rabbit. 



SILVER BROWN RABBITS 

Same type size and silvering as the Gra)^3 only the under color 
starts at the skin with bright slate blue which should extend part 
way of the hair and meet a rich bright chestnut color. It is then 
finished with the silvering, same as the Grays. 

Silver Fawns same as the Grays only their under color is a 
beautiful orange color. 



34 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

The writer has always contended that our New Zealands came 
from the Silver Fawn. 



AMERICAN CHECKERED GIANTS 

One of America's most popular rabbits. 

This rabbit originated in Germany and at the present time we have 
both the German and American strains and types in this country. 

The majority of the American Rabbit Breeders are confused 
and not able to tell the difference between the two. The writer was 
amused a short while ago to see a writer in a prominent magazine 
write how much more beautiful the American strain was than the 
German strain. He then proceeded to describe the German strain 
as the type he was breeding. 

The American strain has been crossed with the Flemish until 
it has more of a flat back than the German strain and also has 
large patches instead of the smaller and more beautiful German 
Checkered markings. 

The German strain also has better saddle markings from the 
ears to the tail. This marking was called chain markings by the 
above writer. The American strain has poor saddle markings, 
also poor head and ears, and butterflys, and permits one cheek spot 
to be missing. 

By the American breeder requiring patches instead of the beau- 
tiful checkered markings we find the poor heads, faces and side 
patches joined onto the saddle markings. These are all wrong and 
the writer hopes in the near future to see us go back to the real 
Checkered Giants with their beautiful type and good clean markings. 

They are bred in blacks, blues, tortoise and grays. 

HEAD AND EARS: Nose should be a perfect butterfly al- 
though the standard permits one-half to be missing,' white patch or 
split butterfly disqualifies. 

EYE CIRCLES with cheek spot same as English. 

EARS are also very hard to breed solid color. 

SIZE: Bucks 11 pounds, does 12 or more. 

SIDE COLOR: Sides should be free from any chain mark- 
ings and no spots past the center of side nearest the ears. On the 
other side towards the tail two or more patches should appear and 
not attached together or to the saddle markings, but a clean field 
of white should appear between the white patches, also between 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 35 

the white patches and saddle markings. The stomach should be 
white. 

SADDLE MARKINGS: A. straight line starting back of the 
ears and becoming gradually larger near the hips when it again 
becomes gradually smaller to the tail and should be an unbroken 
line. The standard permits two-thirds to be missing before it is 
a disqualification. Three colors disqualifies. The fur and meat 
are very valuable in this rabbit and many beautiful sets of fur are 
made from its fur by the v/omen throughout the different parts 
of the country. 



LOP EARED RABBITS, ENGLISH AND FRENCH 

Few people in America realize what a valuable rabbit the Eng- 
lish Lop Ear is. 

It is one of the best fur and meat rabbits we have. The hide 
is a trifle thicker than other breeds and in the blacks we find the 
blackest color of any rabbit we have. 

THE PRINCIPLE POINTS of the Lops are the length and 
breadth of its ears, the size, color and condition. 

In the English Lops they should be as large as possible. Speci- 
mens weighing 14 pounds are not uncommon. 

COLORS: Blacks, fawns, blue, gray and orange. 

BROKEN COLORS: Any of these colors mixed, together 
with white. 

IN THE BROKEN COLORS the saddle should be a dark color 
and from this the color should run in two lines or large spots to 
the ears, which should be solid dark color. The nose and skull 
should be dark and a dark rim should encircle each eye, the re- 
mainder of the Lop being pure white. The head markings are very 
important because a fine lop is admired by the front view. 

EARS : A fully matured specimen should not have ears less 
than 20 inches long by 4 inches in breadth. The longest on record 
have 28i by 71. 

In measuring the ears first place a yard stick and place on the 
top of the ear, holding one end firmly at the end of the measuring 
stick, then stretch out firmly on the ears until they are at their 
full length. To obtain the width, turn the ears over and place the 
measuring stick on the bottom side and stretch the ears cross ways 
and at their widest places will be their width 



36 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

French Lops are judged the same only by a smaller in size, type 
and earage. 

BLACK SIBERIAN 

The rabbit, which originated in Canada and which was fought 
by the rabbit breeders in the States because at the start it was 
only the Black Flemish posing under a new name. 

During the past two years the Canadian breeders have changed 
the standard on it until it is the same size, as the New Zealand and 
resembles the Belgian Hare in type. 

There are many gpod arguments for the Black Siberian. To 
begin with the name pleases the public for they like to be fooled 
and dislike to think they are wearing rabbit fur or eating rabbit 
meat, and even the word "hare" makes a world of difference, and 
until we can educate the whole public into eating the rabbit meat 
and wearing the rabbit fur under their true names the Black Siberian 
will render us great assistance. 

HEAD: Medium, not too large or showing Flemish type. 

EARS : Large, long and inclined to be pointed. 

EYES: Dark brown. 

DOES: Dew laps as small as possible. 

BODY: Long, graceful and similar to Belgian Hare. 

LIMBS: Long, large bone and strong carrying the body well 
off the ground. 

TAIL: Very long. 

COLOR: Jet black throughout with exception of soles of feet, 
which are bluish brown. 

WEIGHT: Bucks, not over 9 pounds. Does, not over 10 
pounds. 

FUR: Thick, dense, long. White patches to disqualify. 

THE WHITE NEW ZEALAND RABBIT 

"THE NEW FUR-BEARING RABBIT" 
By W. S. Preshaw, Ripon, California 

ORIGIN. Nearly three years ago the writer, who at that time 
was raising New Zealand Reds, in examining a nest of young, found 
that four of them were pure white and three were red. Three of 
the whites were does and one buck. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 37 

Believing that a white New Zealand would be a profitable and 
popular breed, I thought I would see what would be the outcome of 
line breeding. One of the does I lost by heat before she was old 
enough to breed. The other two does were bred to the white buck. 
Not knowing what the outcome would be, I did not attempt to sell 
or exhibit them until I had the third generation. 




WHITE NEW ZEALAND RABBIT 

By Courtesy of W. S. Treshaw 

In October, 1919, I exhibited them at the Stockton, California, 
Fair, as White New Zealands. They have been exhibited at six dif- 
ferent shows and fairs in the last year and have always attracted 
a great deal of attention. At the big Championship Show in San Fran- 
cisco, January 29 to February 1, 1920, there were twenty-one entries. 
Judge C. S. Gibson in commenting on them at this show, said that 
they were of the true New Zealand type and with their pure white 
fur they were bound to become very popular. Judge Salisbury in 
commenting on them at the State Fair at Sacramento, said that they 
were absolutely perfect in New Zealand type. 

* THE FUR of the White New Zealand is as fine as the famous 
Himalayan fur and as they grow to about twice the size of the Him- 
alayan, they are sure to be very popular among the fanciers that are 
growing fur rabbits. 

FROM A FANCIER'S POINT OF VIEW, there is nothing 
that can beat the White New Zealand for beauty, fur or meat. I 
have raised nearly two hundred, and not one of them has been 



38 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

off in color or type. Have raised rabbits for the last twenty-three 
years and never raised as healthy stock as these have been. 

A STANDARD has been established for them, so that from 
now on they will be eligible to registry and will be judged by stand- 
ard, thus establishing them as a new breed of rabbit. 



THE BLUE FLEMISH GIANT 

The Blue Flemish Giant is of recent finding and a variety that 
will no doubt become very popular. 

In the first place, we have a rabbit that hss the size and weight 
and type of any of the other Giants and breeds true to color, which 
is a big point in its favor over the other Flemish, since it is well 
known that the different shades of gray and the black seldom litter 
true to color. However, it is true that some breeders by scientific 
mating of stock have produced strains that breed true to color (in 
respect to the grays and blacks) but the results are more the excep- 
tion than the rule. 

TRUE TO COLOR. A Blue Flemish breeding true to color 
surely has an advantage over the other kinds of Flemish in this re- 
spect, with the exception of perhaps the White, which also breeds 
true. 

ORIGIN. The writer contends that the Blue Flemish was cre- 
ated the same as the New Zealand Red, and a number of other vari- 
eties. That it is by "sports," so called, at times, a steel blue doe 
will throw a blue rabbit as will a steel blue buck by breeding a steel 
blue father to his own daughter. From this, good colored offsprings 
are likely to be the result, and is probably the origin of the Blue 
Flemish Giant. 

WEIGHT. There is no doubt but that the standard weights for 
this blue rabbit should be high, for the reason — that they are — as a 
rule, as large as the other breeds of Flemish; they carry the same 
large bone and frame. Then again, the heaviest rabbit at the Seattle, 
Wash., show, 1920, was a Blue Flemish, which is evidence in itself 
that in considering this rabbit, one of the most important factors 
should be in regard to weight. 

IN GENERAL. There seems to be a desire on the part of some 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 39 

of the prominent judges in the country to keep the Blue Flemish in 
the background. Some of the reasons are laughable, as for instance, 
that it will cause some ''unscrupulous" breeders to sell the small 
Blue Flemish for Blue Imperials; when medium size sell as American 
Blues; and when large sell as Blue Flemish Giants. Let it be un- 
derstood, however, that there is a vast difference in the three breeds 
mentioned and there is really nothing to these arguments. 

The Blue Flemish will doubtless become a popular rabbit in 
demand, and so far as supply is concerned, will be scarce for several 
years. Those who are starting to raise them now ought certainly 
to breed with enthusiasm of the highest, knowing that there is a 
market for every rabbit produced of quality, and at a very excellent 
price. 

THE WHITE FLEMISH GIANT 

THE WHITE FLEMISH GIANTS may reasonably compare 
with the Blue Flemish — the most important difference being the 
color. 

SIZE. Compares favorably with the others in a general way 
Some breeders claim that this breed is the most profitable to handle 
since some of the youngsters weigh about six pounds at three months. 
When matured, they come to close quarters of being high in weight 
of the Flemish kind, reaching 15* pounds. 

IN GENERAL APPEARANCE. They are large— but symmet- 
rical — most imposing and mighty attractive in looks. Head and 
shoulders finely set — ears well erect. Tn length they certainly do 
show up in excellency. 

BREEDING. This rabbit breeds true to color which makes it 
a favorite among breeders of Flemish who desire to produce a par- 
ticular kind. 

FUR. In its natural state can be used for many things. This 
also makes this rabbit rather popular. 

ORIGIN. Here is another rabbit — strange as it might seem — 
that is a "sport," so called, from other Giants. In instances of the 
other breeds of Flemish — there are rare occurrences where a White 
rabbit is produced — but it is a fact generally recognized, that a 
White Flemish — no matter of what parentage — will breed true to 
cojor at all times. 



40 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 




■a fc 



a 

Q 






RABBITS AND DOLLARS 41 

GENERAL REMARKS ON RABBIT CULTURE 

Pointers Essential to Observe 

GENERAL REMARKS ON RABBIT CULTURE 

IT is well to avoid the breeding of freak or new type rabbits, espe- 
cially at first. Stick to established breeds and try to make all the 
improvements in them that you can by careful selection of the 
best specimens from each litter. Choose out what you think are 
the best two or three from a litter at three months of age, then go 
around to numerous rabbitries handling the breed and discuss the 
points of that type of rabbit, comparing with the specimens handled 
by the various breeders. 

Attend any shows that are in the neighborhood, or that you 
can get to, and listen to the discussions of the various breeders. 

Read up all the books you can get on the subject, and if they 
appear to disagree, write to the authors for their private opinions 
of the things you wish to know. They may have learned dif- 
ferently by then and be able to help you get the truth of the matter. 

Join as many of the rabbit associations that you can benefit by 
attending the meetings as much as you can, or read up the reports 
in the various magazines. 

About a month after you have selected the best from the litters, 
as shown above, try them out again by comparison, using the knowl- 
edge you have since gained by the attendance to clubs, other rab- 
bitries, magazines, books, etc. 

In short, CONSTANTLY STUDY THE INDUSTRY from 
every possible angle. Even if you are raising them only for meat, a 
little study along these lines will more than repay you. You may 
want to make some money from them some day. 

Subscribe to all the magazines you can. Read them, as they will 
mean as much as good rabbits for your success. 

There are rabbit departments maintained in various poultry 
journals and kept up more or less regularly. This idea is ra'pidly 
gaining ground and it may be well to look into them, if you have 
the time and inclination after subscribing to all the pet stock and 
rabbit magazines you can. These rabbit journals range in price 
from 50 cents to one dollar per year, at the present writing, but 
because of possible changes in price, it will be well to write for 
sample copies, which they will be glad to send you. By this means 
you will see which you like best and what they will cost you at that 
time per year. 



PART 2 

The Commercial Side 

A Most Profitable Proposition 

MARKET STOCK. — The ultimate purpose of rabbit raising is 
for meat, either for oneself or to sell, or both. Of course, as 
long as there are sportsmen and fanciers in the world there 
will always be a good demand for the fancy type of rabbit at a good 
price. Fine specimens of the meat types, even, will always bring a 
better price than the pound value. This is true in hogs and cattle 
and will always be true in any type of utility animal. 

In feeding market stock, whether of a type or what are called 
"commons," accustom them gradually to various feeds, being careful 
not to make sudden changes in the diet of breeding does. But the 
young or fattening stock should be accustomed to eating as wide a 
range of foods as possible and should be fed quite heavily, all that 
they will clean up well. 

Bring these to killing weight as soon as possible- It will 
be found in most cities that the favorite weights for dressing are 
one and one-half to two pounds, dressed. This means a live weight 
of three to four pounds, as the animal when young will dress just half 
away. 

In the heavier breeds it will be found that they get these weights 
at a younger age, but the flesh is not set so well and is not so 
fine in texture. However, the difference is so slight in a well 
fed specimens that only a connoiseur or expert of the first water can 
tell it. For market use the heavier types are to be recommended, as 
they make good killing weight at seven to nine weeks, while the 
smaller type of rabbit will take from ten to twelve weeks. 

For market breeding, where the pedigrees are not to be watched 
in the young, it will be well to run them in a large pen, about six 
by eight feet. Keep a permanent hay rack in one side, built to the 
floor, so that the youngster can reach it. This may hold twenty or 
thirty pounds of hay and should be kept full all the time. Have 
the hopper type of feed cans for grain, such as are used for chickens, 
to hold ten or twelve pounds of grain. Be sure the feeding part, 
where the rabbit feeds, is small enough so they cannot get into it 
with the whole body and foul it. Have just enough room at the 
feeding point of the apparatus to allow the head and mouth of 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



43 



the animal to get the feed. Feed dry grains only in these hoppers. 
See the section on "Feeds and Feeding" for the kinds of grain to use. 
The water also may be given in one of the stone crocks made 
and sold for the purpose. Some are so made to prevent bursting 
by freezing in winter. 

In running rabbits in this manner, there will have to be exer- 
cised greater care in seeing that they all keep healthy and that the 
pen is kept extremely clean. A disease once started in so large a 
bunch, may result in great loss before you discover it- 
Have a small spring scales, with a platform built on it, by cleat- 
ing a board so it will hold to the top of the scales. Weigh the 
rabbit before and after dressing, until your judgment of its exact 
dressing weight will be sound. 

To dress a rabbit procure a short piece of broom or hoe handle, 
eighteen inches long. Have this with a hole in the end, so you can 
hang it up handy. 

Grasp the rabbit firmly by the loose skin across the hips, and 
not by the legs, as generally directed. The grip across the hips will 
prevent the rabbit struggling almost entirely, and does not frighten 
the animal nearly so much. It also gives fully as good a chance to 
strike a true blow, and better, because the animal does not struggle 
so. See illustration. 




SHOWING CORRECT METHOD OF KILLING A RABBIT 



44 RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 

DRESSING A RABBIT 

EACH person will probably develop the details of dressing a 
rabbit to suit their individual ideas, but a few good suggestions 
are offered here to give those a start who have not already 
worked out a better method. 

Before killing the rabbit have a stout loop of heavy binding 
cord hung in a beam in such a way that the bottom of the loop will 
be about as high as your chin. 

After killing the rabbit hang it in this slip-loop by a half hitch, 
by one of the hind legs. Cut off the head of the animal first, which 
should be done over a tub or an old bucket. 

Then cut away the skin around the hocks, or heel-joint, of the 
leg by which the rabbit is suspended. Pull down the hide at the 
crotch of the hind legs, cut off the suspending leg at the hock- 
joint. Take out the foot, which has been left suspended in the 
loop, and put in the other hind leg. Cut away the skin as before, 
and strip to the crotch. 

Now thrust the finger under the skin and lift it, cutting across 
the abdomen. Cut out the tail and the skin around it. Strip down 
the whole body hide, taking clear off, cutting the forelegs at the 
wrist-joint. If the hide is to be saved a straight line should be cut 
from hock to hock on the hind legs, instead of lifting the hide after 
stripping each leg, as above. The first method is a little quicker, 
and with some, easier. 

After the hide is well off, and any stray hairs have been re- 
moved, take a firm grip of the free hind leg, on the thigh, and split 
the pelvic bone, which will readily split at the center. Thrust in 
two fingers in the opening thus made and slit the rabbit down to a 
point below the diaphragm, or the first ribs. A little cutting will 
easily drop out the entrails. Cut the stomach loose from the liver, 
and leave the liver, the kidneys, and the heart in the rabbit. The 
heart will be found in the lung cavity, below the diaphragm, as the 
rabbit is hanging by the hind leg, upside down. 

The diaphragm should be split and the lungs removed. 

Plunge the rabbit immediately into a clean bucket or kettle of 
cold water and rinse thoroughly. Pour off this water and put the 
rabbit to soak in about two quarts of water, to which has been added 
a tablespoon full of salt, stirred in well. It should soak at least 
three hours before cooking, and longer will not hurt anything. 



RABBITS AND D O LL ARS 45 

If you are to deliver the rabbit to a customer, you should tie 
the hind legs together, before putting it to soak, and then tie them 
to the neck, thrusting the front legs between the hind legs. This 
makes a nice square package and draws the muscles of the back 
taut, giving a waxy white appearance to them after soaking. Turn 
the rabbit occasionally, so that it lies in free water, and weight it 
down with a plate. 

Before wrapping the rabbit for delivery, put it on a dry plate 
to drain. Then weigh it. It will be found that the soaking has in- 
creased the weight twenty to thirty per cent, according to the length 
of time it was soaked, and has increased the delicacy of the flavor. 
You may allow for this, if you wish, in selling the rabbit. To im- 
prove the flavor and delicacy of the rabbit by the addition of water, 
however, is part of the art of fine dressing, and is no more a matter 
of conscience in the sale of the rabbit, than is the water in kraut, 
or the water in a can of peas or tomatoes, or other canned fruit. 
Thus you may satisfy your conscience as to the sale of the rabbit, 
allowing or disallowing the added weight as you see fit. 

The usual price of rabbit meat, dressed as above, will be about 
five cents per pound more than that of a nice veal roast. The cost 
of raising this meat will be twelve cents per pound, with hay at 
twenty to thirty dollars per ton, and rolled barley or grain at three 
dollars per hundred. This is an estimate based on the killing of 
the stock at ten weeks of age, at which time they should dress a full 
two pounds, if well cared for. 



WRAPPING THE MEAT 

Good heavy wax paper may be had at the paper houses for a 
reasonable sum, and this makes the ideal first wrapping. Heavy 
butcher's wrapping paper may be used for the outside, with a neat 
stamp or printing on it, telling of your business. These two wrap- 
pers and the string, including the printing, should not cost over four 
cents per rabbit or package total. 



46 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



RABBITRY MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENT 
BUSINESS METHODS 

A GREAT many people raise rabbits and pet stock simply for 
the love of them, and entirely as a hobby. This is well, and it 
is this branch that will always have a market for the fancy 
types at fair prices. But even as a hobby, one like to know that it 
pays its own way, and is not entirely a dead drag upon one's re- 
sources, however well off they may be. 

The rabbit and small stock business may be made a very profit- 
able venture, even as a hobby. When a person makes a hobby of 
anything, they are very liable to try to produce the best in their line, 
and it takes very little advertising to dispose of all you have of the 
best in anything. People soon find out you have it, and will pay 
well for it. 

As a business venture, however, many people will depend upon 
the rabbit and small stock industries, and some guidance is needed 
along these lines to prevent undue waste of money in the different 
branches of the business. 

We will now consider the commercial end of the industry. 

Read the forepart of this book carefully, and other good rabbit 
books as well, BEFORE you venture out upon the sea of business. 

The public is a funny fellow, but you will find him a very good 
fellow if you start off on the right foot. 

It must be borne in mind that the public is YOU. Do with the 
public exactly as you would like to have them do with you. This is 
an old rule that is coming more and more into practice among smart 
business men. 

Do not try to impress the public with the bigness of your plant, 
so much as with the value of your stock, or the excellence of your 
service. Endeavor always to get the "other fellow's" viewpoint, by 
figuring exactly what would please you best. Do not try to figure 
what would impress you most, or astonish you most, but what would 
give you the most lasting impression of pleasure, if YOU were the 
customer. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



47 



ADVERTISING 

ADVERTISE just according to your plant. If you have a small 
plant, a few head of stock, just run small ads in the leading 
petstock or rabbit magazines, and maybe in your local paper. 
Remember the importance of circulation to get results. Don't 
overlook this. 

Each ad should be "keyed" so that you may know which is pull- 
ing. This may be done by inserting a clause in your address, such 
as Div. B, or Dept. 7. 'If you advertise, say, in the Outdoor Enter- 
prises, the words Div. B, on your ad as part of your address, will 
cause the writer of the inquiry to include it on his envelope, thus 
telling you where he saw the ad. For keeping an account of what 
ads are pulling, the following simple form will be found useful and 
may be ruled out at home : 



Name of 
Magazine 


Circ- 
ulation 


Ad 
Key 


: In ". 

1 quiries 


Orders 
Amts. 


Per cent 
Ord to Inq 


Orders 

per 1,000 

Circulation! 














1 



A liberal education may be had in advertising by watching the 
big ads used by the larger firms, such as auto companies, gum man- 
ufacturers, flour makers, etc. But it should be borne in mind that 
simplicity is the keynote of all the best advertising, that "he who 
runs may read." 

Use the big ads as a model for your smaller ads, only to the 
extent that they fit your case. In other words, absorb the idea and 
adapt it to your needs. More particularly, however, pay close atten- 
tion to the advertising of the men who are doing the best in your 
line, small stock raising. 

Emphasize some one feature of your ad with considerable regu- 
larity, until you find some other feature that will do better. 

To give one example, note the difference in the writing of the 
following ad : 

Belgian Hares- For fine stock, go to the John Brown Rabbitry, 
Brownville. 

This does not impress you' much, and would not be noticed, if 
you were not already reading this page. Now see this one, which 
would cost but very little more and do many times the work: 



48 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

BELGIAN HARES 

For FINE Stock 
Go to the 

JOHN BROWN RABBITRY 

Brownville, Colo. 

How much more quickly that took your eye, and we believe you 
will have noticed that ad before you started to read the page it is 
printed on. 

Considerable use may be made of billboards for local work, par- 
ticularly if one is running a store such as that described a little 
later in this work. But it will be found to be very costly in most 
cases. Should one be handy with a brush, or have a friend that is, 
one may go to real estate men and offer to keep up the real estate 
signs for half the space on them. Some real estate men, especially 
small owners of properties, who have fairly large signs on their 
places. If these signs seem to be a little worn or old, go to the 
owner with a proposition such as we have mentioned, to paint the 
sign up again and put it in good shape if the owner will let you have 
part of the space on it, say a third or so. 

It is good practice locally, to have signs all around your place, 
beginning at about one or two squares away, signs that point to 
your place in some suggestive manner. Let the wording be as simple 
as possible and few in number. 

The signs should be placed near street car lines, on main lines 
of traffic, auto roads, etc. Get permission from the owner of the 
land you place your signs on, if you find it necessary to go on private 
property, but for the most part signs in public places will not be dis- 
turbed. 

For the most part it will be found that white letters on a black 
or dark blue ground will be seen fartherest and read easier. 

A simple drawing of a rabbit will be found to be an eye-catcher. 

STATIONERY 

One of the first impressions the customer gets of the rabbit 
keeper is that of his stationery. It is like a suit of clothes, it makes 
the first impressions on the customer's mind, good or bad. Let the 
impression be good, then, by having a well set up, carefully printed 
set of stationery that you need not be ashamed of. Avoid "cheap" 
printing, done in a sloveilly manner. See that your printing is clear 
and free from smudges, that it is firm and well set up, as well as 
evenly printed in a nice clean impression. Study the samples of let- 



RABBITS AND DO LL ARS 49 

terheads and envelopes the printer has on hand, and select the best 
types for yours. 

Do not attempt too elaborate a letter head at first, for you will 
always find that you will want to make changes, after you have used 
your letterheads a while. For the same reason you should not order 
more than about one thousand of each, letterheads, mailing envelopes 
at one time at first. 

Cuts, or pictures, will be found to be a considerable attraction 
to both your stationery and your advertising. There is nothing that 
will impress the public with a permanent idea of your business so 
much as a standardized picture of one of your fine stock, or your 
rabbitry, or even of yourself. 

The principal stationery needed in the average small business in 
rabbits, will be letterheads, mailing envelopes, return envelopes, 
which are very important, blotters of envelope size, something the 
customer will likely keep and remember you the better; and pedi- 
grees. 

All these pieces should be of one kind and color of paper, and 
using as much as possible the same general idea in cuts and style of 
type. The return envelope, while using the same style of type or 
cuts, may be more impressive if printed in a bright red ink. 

The reason of this is a psychological one. The customer gets 
the stationery all done in a sedate or modest color, and then comes 
across this glaring red envelope. The impression on his mind is 
that something should be done about it. He knows what you want 
done, you want an order, and the impression is borne in upon his 
subconscious mind that you are the man who should have that order, 
because you are businesslike and so well prepared to take care of it. 
If he lays the envelope aside, he will still be impressed with that 
bright red color, and if there is any order to be had you will be nearly 
sure to get it. It has been proved even after over a year had elapsed. 

In the pedigrees, it is much better to have your own, fully stan- 
dardized, than to have just the regular books of blanks, that have no 
individuality. The particular pedigree, made up on your own forms 
will impress the customer as a large business house. 

HANDLING INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS 

Some very successful rabbit breeders go so far as to advertise 
a complete list of the stock on hand, and the prices, and then to state 
that they will answer no letters that do not contain a check or money 
order. 



50 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

This is, however, only practical to those who have considerable 
capital and an excellent reputation for fine stock, won by honest 
competition in the shows. Such men are entitled to freedom from 
the many useless letters of the "curiosity seekers," that abound in 
any business. 

Promptness in answering inquiries is one asset that must not be 
overlooked. Always answer all of today's mail today. This is the 
MOST important thing in a mail order business, the principle of 
promptness. 

Equal to promptness, or even exceeding we should say in a sense, 
is the principle of truth. Make that your one guiding star, for it is 
the only winning road. Not only is this so from a moral standpoint, 
but psychology teaches that we impress those to whom we are writing 
BEFORE the letter reaches them. Those who are receptive to 
psychic influences, and nearly everyone is, will get the impression 
of the strength of your letters and your advertisements, knowing 
instinctively whether they are truthful or not. This is coming more 
and more to be the case, as people get informed along these lines and 
develop the latent powers of psychic influence in the individual mind. 
Truth is a straight road, and MUST lead to your ultimate object, 
success. 

As has been pointed out in some of our better magazines, the 
word "guarantee" is much misused. In the first place a guarantee 
can only be applied to a second person and not to one's own self or 
goods. You may undertake to guarantee another's performance at 
a certain date or place, as in contracting for an actor's appearance, 
but you may NOT, according to the best English language, guarantee 
YOUR stock to be right. 

Warrant is a better word- A good ad line is to say, in each ad 
for instance, as a trade statement that will impress the public, "Each 
Rabbit Warranted," or "Our Reputation is YOUR Warranty." 

As your business grows you will need to pay more and more at- 
tention to these details, although one may get by for a while as a 
small business without apparently paying much attention to the prin- 
ciples here set forth. 

CARRIERS AND SHIPPING CRATES 

The packages and boxes used in a business are a large index to 
the average person, of the standing of the firm. Note the immense 
business done by the large biscuit companies, principally on the 
strength of their packages, which they advertise to be "air-tight, 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 51 

water-tight, sealed, etc." This makes an ideal package for them and 
their business. The same idea will apply to the rabbit fancier, and 
while the crate or shipping box may be fairly cheap and inexpensive, 
it should be neat and individual to the shipper. That is, it is not 
good policy to use grocery boxes and other people's cast-off packages, 
unless they are painted and labeled for the present shipper. First 
impressions, as has been said, are important, and the average person 
receiving a crate of rabbits makes first judgment on the kind and 
style of package. 

REPEAT ORDERS 

The thing most sought after in- the large business concerns of 
the country, is repeat orders- Not only from the right principle of 
pleasing the customer, but from the fact that repeat orders are 
cheaper. There is less overhead, or office, expenses, there is less 
time and stationery wasted in getting them and each repeat order is 
a distinct advertisement, far more valuable than any that can be 
written in paid copy. The customer is more willing to talk about 
your rabbits after he has ordered the second or third time than he 
was at first. 

By that time he gets to saying that he "always" orders from 
Brown, or whoever the satisfying breeder may be. 

So from the first, you should be willing even to take some loss, 
in order to please the customer. And if you ARE going to stand 
any loss, do so very promptly and without argument. You can be 
careful NEXT time in dealing with the customer, but THIS time is 
the time to make that impression of the "square deal." Don't argue. 
If the customer was wrong and beat you a little, the matter will lie 
upon his conscience, so that even if he doesn't make it up to you in 
money, his conscience will drive him to tell others what a square 
person you are, and thus help your trade more than the actual loss 
you were put to- 

Then, too, there are no "hangovers" on your own conscience to 
thresh out and take your time away from productive thinking on your 
business. If you are square four ways, and know it, you can drive 
ahead with a great deal more force than the person that has to stop 
and tell himself that it was "all right anyway. It wasn't MY fault," 
with the slight doubt in mind that perhaps it WAS his fault, just a 
little. 



52 RABBITS AND D OLL ARS 

FILING RECORDS 

A smaii box letter file, alphabetically indexed, is an absolute 
necessity to start with, and will usually repay its small cost of fifty 
cents or so, in a short time. A little later a regular box file should be 
had as soon as the business is large enough to warrant it. 

This will keep your letters all straight and in their order, so 
that you can always know just what was said. 

When a person purchases from you, you should have a cheap 
manila folder, with his name and address at the top, and file all the 
customers' letters in that one. Manila folders with the letters and 
the word Misc., or miscellaneous, at the top will do for the inquirers 
who do not order. When one sends in his order, get out the letter — 
miscellaneous file for his initial and get out of it all his past cor- 
respondence, filing it in a new file with his name on it, thus assem- 
bling all that customer's mail for convenience. 

For instance, you get an inquiry from Mr. R. M. Mills. You 
answer it. If you have no typewriter, which may now be had for 
$3.00 the month, on easy payments, you must jot down on the back 
of his letter the principal things you said, the prices quoted, the 
terms of shipment, such as C. O. D., express collect, or express pre- 
paid, as the case may be. This first inquiry should now be filed 
under "M Misc., M-" 

A few weeks later Mr. Mills orders a rabbit from you. Look in 
M Misc., and get out his inquiry, as well as all other letters he may 
have written you and your copies of what you wrote him. The ad- 
vantage of the typewriter is just here, in that you may have carbon 
copies of all you write, and thus be secure and certain in what you 
quoted or said. 

File Mr. Mills' correspondence, now that he is a customer, in a 
separate file, along the top flap of which you have written, "Mills, 
R. M., Seneca Falls, N. Y." This folder should then be inserted in 
your file under M. This is a simple method of filing that any one 
may follow and saves much time and labor. 

HUTCH CARDS 

A simple form of hutch card is here shown, to be kept in a tin 
pocket on the hutch door or front. These cards should be filed in 
the file that will be made for the pedigrees, mentioned later, under 
the name of the rabbit to whom they apply. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

Pedigree. 



Name 

Sire 

Dame 

Born Price 

Due Amt. From 

Face Side. 



f Sire 



Sire 



I Dame 



Sire 



Sire. 



I Dam< 



53 



("Sire . 

[Dame 

fSire . 

J 

i Dame 

fSire . 
[Dame 
fSire.. 
[Dame 



Reverse Side. 



This is a very complete and convenient record, and may be 
printed cheaply. The cards may be of light board and made to fit in 
a tin pocket that can be made at home, as in the section under "Rab- 
bitry Management." 

By making two more of the above kind of cards for each one, 
printed on a thin paper one will have the triplicates of the pedigrees 
all in one form, thus making a convenient method of filing and re- 
ducing the number of writings necessary in keeping records of the 
stock. 

Some kind of record MUST be kept if one is to be secure in 
the pedigrees and honest in his dealings. This method also does 
away with marking the rabbits separately to a large extent. 

PEDIGREES 

The principal value of a pedigree lies in its value to the breeder. 
In order to follow a set line of breeding, and in order to know which 
strain is the most productive of good stock, it is necessary to have a 
record of the parentage. For this reason pedigrees ought to be com- 
plete, containing the show winnings of the specimens in the ancestry 
of the rabbit pedigreed, and any exceptional weights that were made, 
in the case of the heavier breeds. 

A good form of pedigree is here shown, although many forms 
are easily procured. Where a typewriter is used, a piece of blank 
paper can be used to get the copy by carbon, or two pieces used 
where triplicates are desired, as explained later. 



54 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



AT THE TOP OF THE PEDIGREE HAVE YOUR 

RABBITRY STANDARD CUT 

Which Helps to Make a More Impressive Document 

Pedigree of Thoroughbred 

Born Sold to Address 

Note — All future sales of this animal should be noted on the reverse 

of this pedigree. 

Remarks (Such as registry, special winnings, etc.) 



Sire. 



f Sire. 
<! 



Sire. 



.Dame. 



Sire. 



Dame <! 



Dame << 



Dame. 

Sire. . 

Dame, 
f Sire. . 

Dame, 
f Sire. . 

Dame. 



We declare the above to be a true and correct pedigree. 

(Signature) By 

These pedigrees, unless the card system is followed entirely, 
should be made out in triplicate. That is, use one pedigree to send 
to the customer, and two blank pieces of the same size of paper, to 
trace the other two triplicate copies on. 

The second copy should be filed in the customer's file, the 
third one should be filed in a separate file, like your letter file 
that will have all the rabbits names filed alphabetically. 

Thus, if you sold a buck called Bonnie Boy to the Mr. Mills, 
mentioned before, you should send Mr. Mills the original pedigree, 
put one copy in Mr. Mills file, and one copy in the rabbit file under 
"B" for Bonnie Boy. 

Then if you ever need to know where Bonnie Boy went, you 
have the means of finding out quickly, or, if you wish to know what 
rabbit Mr. Mills bought, so as to not cross pedigrees on his repeat 
order, you can easily see just what he bought, in his file. 

In case Mr. Mills loses his pedigree and wants another, for 
Which you may make a reasonable charge of fifty cents or so, you 
can readily make him a duplicate, having two copies on hand. 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 



55 



COST AND PROFIT RECORDS 

THE principle thing in business records is the ability to KNOW 
just where you are all the time. Whether the business is going 
up or down and where the losses and profits are. 
Your records should in all cases be as simple as may be consis- 
tent with accuracy, and reduced to as few books nd forms as may be. 
A simple form of bookkeeping that will give you at a glance your 
financial standing is here shown. Or, if you wish, regular cash 
books, printed in proper form, may be had at any large stationery 
store. 

BOOKKEEPING SYSTEM FOR A RABBITRY 



DATE Rec'n From Reed For Amt Paid To Paid For Amount Balance 



The balance column at the last always gives you the exact state 
of the finances at any given time. 



STORE KEEPING 

SOMETIMES the rabbit fancier will have a small capital, seven 
or eight hundred dollars, to invest in a store for the sale of his 
stock and supplies, thus adding considerable to his income and dis- 
pensing with the middleman. 

In starting a venture of this kind, to handle thoroughbred live 
stock, and dressed utility rabbits, as well as books, crocks, markers 
and supplies, some care must be used in getting a start. 

In a city of fifty to three hundred thousand, a location should 
be chosen with care as near to the center of the traffic as possible. 
A small place near the central loop, in cas of a car line in the city, 
or a prominent place on the main thoroughfare. 

At first it is advisable to start with a small store, or better 
still a half store or hallway. Something about eight feet wide and 
possibly twenty feet deep. 

On one side may be arranged a narrow counter, done in white 
enamel, on the porcelain or marble top of which will be large white 
platters filled with tempting bits of rabbit. 



56 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

On the first platter, for instance, will be whole dressed rab- 
bits at about forty cents per pound, with neat price cards announc- 
ing the price. The next platter will be filled with fine young "hams," 
or front legs only, of freshly dressed young hares. As these are 
choice pieces, they will bring a iittle better price, about forty-five 
cents per pound, say. 

The third platter will contain "quarters," or hind legs only. As 
these are large and have small bone they will bring the top price, 
fifty cents per pound, say. The fourth platter will contain the 
"loins" or backs, as their sole contents. These pieces being less 
choice, will bring the same price as the whole rabbit, forty cents 
per pound, including the hearts and livers and kidneys. 

The last platted will contain livers only. They should bring 
forty-five cents the pound. 

All these platters will be on the end next to the door. 

If no special license is required to serve sandwiches, etc., the 
back part of the counter will be for "rabbit lunches," consisting 
of sandwiches, steam table arrangements for keeping hot stews, frys. 
etc. 

On the shelves, behind the clerk and back of the counter, will be 
lines of crocks, books of all kinds on the rabbit industry, scrapers 
for cleaning hutches, marking systems, bundles of hutch cards, rab- 
bit remedies and any other paraphernalia of the rabbit industry, 
such as carriers, shipping cases, etc. 

On the other side of the, stall, or small store, will be a line of 
narrow hutches, all done in white enamel, and kept perfectly clean 
and sanitary with the best grades of disinfectants and plenty of 
sawdust. The prices of the animals enclosed will be neatly on the 
hutches in small cards, while another small card will tell the kind 
of animal and a few interesting facts concerning them, such as the 
standard weights, colors, etc., of this particular type of animal. In 
the hutches will be several types. 

On the wall at the back of the store will be a large white sign 
which will tell the main reasons for the raising of rabbits, few, but 
convincing words being used. 

Outside the store, done in white, with red or bright green trim, 
will be a large vertical electric sign with the one word "RABBITS," 
down its length. Some kind of winking or flash sign is desirable. 

If an auto or motorcycle is available, free deliveries may be 
advertised. Otherwise a "cash-and-carry" plan is advisable. 



RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 57 

Allowances must be made for delivery costs in figuring profits, 
but a phone and delivery system will be found advisable where it 
is well advertised over the city. 

Signs placed in the street cars, and about the street corners, 
are needed in a venture of this kind, as it will necessarily cater 
to the better class of people, to a large extent. Where a large rab- 
bitry is' back of the enterprise, prices can be cut accordingly, 
and the large butcher shops experience a competition that will make 
the high cost of living look sick in the average city. 

Cards, terse but inviting, should be freely used about the city. 
Boys to solicit trade may also be used at first, on a percentage basis, 
but this should only be introductory, as the expenses might run 
too high. 

As a special to attract attention to your store you might offer 
free sandwiches of rabbit meat, from ten to twelve a. m., on such 
a day, being careful to make them small and of minced meat of the 
rabbits, with a little mustard or something on the side. This offer, 
if made in the newspapers, should be made to the ladies only. Make 
an especial appeal to the women to try out this fine meat at your 
expense. 



PART 3 

DISEASES OF RABBITS 

The rabbit is heir to comparatively few diseases, and but a 
small per cent of these are fatal if taken in time. The rule of the 
"ounce of prevention" as against a pound of cure, bears special notice 
here. It must be remembered that the rabbit is penned as a rule in 
a comparatively small space, and should have the more care, there- 
fore, to help him fight off any tendency to disease. 

Ear Canker or Scabs 

THIS is the most common rabbit trouble, and the least dangerous, 
with a little attention immediately on discovery. Symptom* : 
the rabbit will wash its ears more than usual. Look down into 
the ear and see if any scabs appear. Feel the bases of the ears to see 
if they are hot. The patient will also shake its head. 

Occasionally it will dig at the ear with a hind foot. Finally, in 
the last stages the ear will droop, and the fur be lost off the back 
of it. Death may shortly ensue if nothing is done. But the disease 
need never go so far as this. 

Cause, a germ lodging in the ear. 



58 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

Remedy, a few drops of Sweet or Camphorated Oil, twice a day 
until the scab disappears, generally the third day. Or, melt a little 
carbolated vaseline and pour into the ear, being sure that you can 
readily bear the back of your little finger in it, so that it will not 
be made too hot. 

SORE HOCKS 

Symptoms, the rabbit ceases to pound the foot down, on the bot- 
tom of the hutch occasionally, as before. A little ;ter the animal 
will limp, and finally sit humped in the corner, refusing to eat. 

Causes, damp or dirty hutches. Too strong a disinfectant on 
the floor. A nail in the floor. 

Remedy : Hold the animal's legs and feet in water as hot as you 
can bear the back of your hand in. Keep it hot by adding a little hot 
water occasionally. Soak fifteen minutes and dry carefully, not 
exposing the animal to any drafts meanwhile . Open any gathered 
places, and clean out with peroxided, or borax water. Dry and 
apply warm carbolated vaseline, or sulphur and lard, mixed. 

ABSCESSES 

Seldom fatal if cared for. Symptoms, risings under the skin, 
rather hard at first. Later they get soft, and if not attended to, will 
burst, making a bad odor and smell in the hutches, and danger of in- 
fection. 

Causes. A scratch from a nail. A bite from another rabbit. 
Opening from pulling fur too fast to line a nest with. 

Remedy. As soon as the abscess is softened well, get a pan of 
hot water, a sharp knife whetted very keen, some peroxide or lis- 
ter ine, and the carbolated vaseline. 

Open the abscess at the side, near the base, so all the pus may 
be squeezed out. See that your hands have no scratches or cuts on 
them to take infection. After the abscess is empty pour in a good 
quantity of the peroxide or listerine. Wash out with the warm 
water and fill the opening with carbolated vaseline, squeezing out 
the surplus. Place the rabbit in a disinfected hutch, with two inches 
of straw on the floor, and clean water and feed dishes, with plenty 
of cool water handy. 

COLDS (First Stage) 

A cold in a rabbit is first noticeable as a catarrh. They will 
sneeze, and sometimes a light mucous will run from the nose- Yet 
they will be lively and eat well, deceiving the owner into letting 
it go, sometimes resulting in the loss of a whole' rabbitry, through 
contagion of the disease in its later, or snuffles, stage. 



RABBITS AND DO LL ARS 59 

The cause is generally dampness of the hutches, a heavy draft 
through the hutches, or a change while the doe is still half naked 
from nesting. The doe should if possible not be changed about after 
she has pulled fur for a nest, for at least four weeks. 

Remedy. Clean out and disinfect a warm, draft-tight hutch. 
Put the animal on its back and treat it with a cold remedy by drop- 
ping the remedy in each nostril. Hold the animal until the oil has 
had good chance to penetrate the spot, or the nasal cavities, thor- 
oughly. Put two drops of Tincture of Aconite in each pint of water 
given the rabbit. Disinfect the hutch every day, and on nice warm 
days let the patient run the length of the rabbitry, if it will not come 
into too close contact with other rabbits that way. Feed dainties, 
such as bread crusts, greens, etc., but do so sparingly. 

SNUFFLES, OR QUICK CONSUMPTION 

A disease that is all too common, and generally the result of a 
neglected cold. It may in rare cases be taken direct, that is, con- 
tracted apparently without the preliminary of a slighter cold. But 
these cases are rare. 

The symptoms are a thick yellow mucous discharge from the 
nostrils, and a very droopy appearance of the patient, accompanied 
by a much roughened and unkempt coat. 

When this stage is noticeable with an apparent disinterest in 
all things, you may be sure that it is snuffles. There is no cure, 
and the patient should be killed, and every precaution taken to dis- 
infect, after the manner shown in the forepart of this portion of 
the book. 

But, however, nasal catarrh will have so much the same symp- 
toms that it may mislead one. Carefully read the portion on nasal 
catarrh before executing the final stroke on a valuable animal. 

If you suspicion the patient to have the snuffles, be sure to look 
for all the signs first, before killing the animal. 

NASAL CATARRH 

It is very annoying to the fancier to have this disease develop 
in his hutches. The average amateur will conclude immediately that 
it is snuffles, and perhaps spoil a sale of another animal for the fan- 
cier by the spreading of the opinion that the fancier carries snuffles 
in his hutches. 

In nasal catarrh the discharge from the nose is light and more 
watery than in the case of snuffles. The same treatment should 
apply that is recommended for Colds. In nasal catarrh the coat will 



60 RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 

remain sleek, and the patient will eat well, neither of which will be 
the case in snuffles. 

CONVULSIONS, SPINAL MENINGITIS, PARALYSIS 

These three diseases appear to the beginner to have all the same 
symptoms. While there may be slight differences in the symptoms 
of these diseases, one fact applies to all, each one is fatal, when 
once it is contracted. There is no cure, and, as in the case of snuf- 
fles also, even if cured the time taken and the condition of the rab- 
bit afterwards will not warrant the effort put forth. The recovered 
rabbit, which very rarely happens, is worthless as a breeder and 
certainly ruined for exhibition. 

Rabbits are so small, and so swiftly produced, that one cannot 
afford the exertion and time needed to cure an obstinate case in any 
disease, that time and trouble being much better occupied in pre- 
venting further spread of the trouble and turning out many more 
young to take the place of the slain or dead specimen. 

The symptoms of the above diseases, are the first day, a droop- 
iness and disinclination to move. The second day a jerking back of 
the head, or in Paralysis, a carrying of the head away to one side. 
A twisting and turning of the body will now begin, with a slight 
drool or dripping from the mouth. The little animal presents a 
piteous sight, at this stage, and its dumb appeal is indeed touching. 

Principally young stock under four months are attacked by 
these troubles, although they may occur in badly kept rabbitries, in 
the older stock occasionally. 

Either or any of these three diseases may be brought on by 
lack of nourishment for the doe while nursing or carrying the 
young. Food of some kind should be kept before the bred or nurs- 
ing doe at all times, as well as plenty of clear, cool water. 

They will also readily invade your rabbitries if you try to breed 
either the doe or the buck too fast, that is, too many times in a 
short period. 

DIARRHOEA 

This is an affection of the lower intestines or bowels. The first 
symptoms that will be noticed by the keenly observing fancier are 
that the manure of the rabbits is of a soft nature and that the pellets 
stick together, instead of being round and separate, as in the normal 
rabbit. 

As the disease advances the rabbit will sit in a dumpy or morbid 
attitude, the manure will become still softer and adhere to the ani- 



RABBITS AND DOLLARS 61 

mal's body. The rabbit becomes quite thin, and finally dies. 

All stock should be carefully inspected each time you feed or 
clean them. Get the habit of noticing the appearance of the hutch 
floors, the appearance of the stock, the sound of the rabbit's breath- 
ing, and the smell of the rabbitries generally and each hutch in par- 
ticular. 

A little practice will enable the average person to tell by the 
smell alone the entire condition of the rabbitry, as one of the first 
places disease makes its appearance is in foul odors. Hence the ne- 
cessity of clean, well ventilated, thoroughly disinfected hutches. 

Diarrhoea is caused generally by food left to rot in the floors 
of the hutches, musty hay or food, chaffy grain or stale, green foods. 
All foods fed rabbits should be sweet, clean and fresh. Therefore, 
feed your hay in racks, the grain in clean crocks or cans, and the 
water in washed crocks or cans. The disease may also be caused by 
taking the young from the mother too soon, as even after weaning 
she teaches them to, eat by her example. Belgian Hares and smaller 
type animals should be left on the mother a full two months and 
larger types three months to produce the best results. 

Diarrhoea in the earlier stages is easily cured, especially in 
grown stock. Feed wet tea leaves, that have been used as tea, just 
covering them with water. Do not give any other water while treat- 
ing with these. 

Feed only dry grains and a little well dried bay, no greens of 
any kind, nor roots, until the disease is. thoroughly out of the way. 

In the more advanced stages a little powdered arrow-root, or 
a little powdered acorn on the grain is good. Dry bread makes a 
good feed, if thoroughly dried but not moldy, and the powder may 
be sprinkled on that. 

If they do not take well to the tea leaves, dip their nose gently 
into them until they get used to it, and give no other water. They 
will take to it shortly. 

Be sure to separate all specimens from healthy stock, as the 
healthy ones may contract it from the droppings of the sick stock. 

SLOBBERS 

This is another intestinal infection, originating in the stomach, 
instead of the bowels. It is an acute indigestion, brought on by the 
same general conditions that will cause Diarrhoea, as mentioned 
above, poor food or taking from the mother too soon. 

The symptoms first seen are a wetness of the chin, then of the 
chest. From this the disease gets the name "Slobbers" as the animal 



62 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

slobbers all over his chin and chest, due to the overflowing of the 
salivary glands, and the weakening of the salivary ducts. 

As the disease advances the rabbit gets thinner and the wet jaws 
and chin makes him a pitiable sight, looking like a little skeleton. 
The disease principally attacks the young, being seldom seen in the 
adult animal, except in very bad conditions of rabbit keeping. 

In the advanced stages the disease is incurable and furnishes 
such a set-back to the animal's growth, that curing is really not 
worth while. 

In the first stages of the disease a little common salt rubbed on 
the chin and the fronts of the forepaws with which they wipe the 
chin, will have a good effect. The salt should also be plentifully 
sprinkled on the grain ration of all stock, so that it will have a tonic 
effect on the animals and thus prevent the recurrence of the disease, 
as well as cure the milder cases. 

One drop of Tincture of Aconite to each half pint of water will 
also help to straighten up the stomachs of those not too badly af- 
fected. But the proportion of one drop of Aconite to the half pint, 
must be observed, as the fluid is poisonous. 

LIVER COMPLAINT 

Sometimes in dressing a rabbit for the market, little white spots 
or kernels will be noticed upon the liver. This is a form of liver 
complaint, and while rather rare, is found often enough to require 
a little explanation. 

It is due to too much dry food, or lack of water, or may some- 
times be caused by lime or alkali in the water used. In the latter 
case, if the mineral contents are not too great, the second generation 
of rabbits will have developed the antidote required for the mineral, 
and can drink the water without any evidences of liver trouble, while 
rabbits brought in from other localities, will contract it immediately. 

There is no cure, once the disease has a firm foothold, but it is 
fairly easy to prevent. Balance the ration well, so that the rabbit 
will have a variety. Keep the hutches clean, and feed hay in little 
racks to keep it off the floors. Disinfect and clean regularly, as 
mentioned in the first part of this section. 

If the liver is not badly spotted, the rabbit meat is perfectly 
safe to eat, but should the organs around the liver be inflamed or 
show marked results, the meat should be thrown out. The liver is 
a natural waste-remover, and thus a little additional spoilage does not 
affect the actual meat of the animal, as long as it has not "backed 
up" or flown out in other organs and the muscles. 



RABBITS AND DOLL ARS 63 

INFANT MORTALITY 

This is the dying of the young while still in the nest, under six 
weeks old. Two days or so after the litter arrives, inspect them 
carefully according to the instructions given in the section on Bel- 
gian Hares. 

Take out all dead, and then kill off the one or two weak ones 
found, or the smallest. 

The prevention of infant mortality is found in selecting breed- 
ing stock that is in perfect health, and then in not letting the mother 
keep more than five of the larger breeds of rabbits, or six in the 
smaller breeds. This is especially true where it is not feasible to 
feed milk. 

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS 

PREVENTION of disease is the first thing, and all that it 
really requires is regularity- Regularity first in feeding, to feed as 
near as possible the same time each day, year in and year out. Reg- 
ularity as to the amount to be fed, varying only after careful study 
of the particular case in hand. Let regularity prevail as to the kind 
and quality as well as quantity of the food. 

Regularity must be the watchword in cleaning the hutches. 
Have a day for that, and be sure to do that, twice a week at least 
in the summer, and once a week in the winter. In the case of self- 
cleaning hutches see that the refuse is carried away regularly, and 
not left to rot or smell. 

Be regular, absolutely regular, in your disinfection of the 
hutches, at least once a week, the year round. For this purpose 
there are many disinfectants in the market. Good ones are Cro- 
leum, Kreso, Creosote Oil, and others of a like nature. The common 
fault of all the above is that they are coal tar products, and displace 
a large quantity of the oxygen. This is harmless, if the hutches are 
well ventilated and airy. When any of these coal-tar products are 
used, see that the doors, windows and skylights are well open. 

Other good disinfectants may be found, but they will cost more. 

The disinfectant may be applied after diluting according to 
directions, by dipping a small whisk broom in the liquid and whisk- 
ing it into the damper corners of the hutches. Then cover with a 
light handful of straw. Of course it is assumed that you have thor- 
oughly scraped out the hutch with a short handled hoe or scraper 



64 RABBITS AND DOLLARS 

first. Do not dampen a hutch by scrubbing. Scrapping is much bet- 
ter, if properly done. 

The disinfectant may also be diluted and then mixed with as 
much sawdust as will barely be dampened by the liquid. A small 
handful of this sawdust may be thrown into the dampest corners of 
the hutch, as these are the most recently used parts of the hutch, 
and the usual starting place of the diseases caused from filth. Filth, 
by the way, is the general cause of four-fifths of the rabbit diseases. 

Another way to handle disinfectant, after diluting, is to spray 
it with a spray pump in the corners of the hutches. This is perhaps 
the most effective way. Straw should be sprinkled on the floor, if 
the disinfectant is a strong one, or a coal-tar product. 

In using the stronger disinfectants, be careful around the young 
stock, removing them if necessary, to another hutch. 

Paint all hutches when built, and at least once a year thereafter, 
being careful to allow four full days before putting in stock, after 
painting. Then it is also a good precaution to put a litter of straw 
on the floor. Use clean, fresh straw, always, as the rabbits gener- 
ally eat all or part of it. 



